The first popular treatment of relativity theory. First English language edition, first impression of Einstein's first popular treatment of relativity. This copy from the library of British physicist Leslie Fleetwood Bates (1897-1978), who did his doctoral work under Ernest Rutherford at Cambridge and became a specialist in ferromagnetism.

Einstein's general theory of relativity, 'one of history's most imaginative and dramatic revisions of our concepts of the universe', was completed in a frenzy of work at the end of 1915 (Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe, p. 223). The following year he published, in German, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory, an account intended to be accessible to the general public, and which he tested by reading drafts to his step-daughter Margot. Einstein took the opportunity to publish the present English language edition when interest in general relativity exploded after the theory was confirmed by Arthur Eddington's eclipse observations in 1919. This edition includes an important new appendix on Eddington's work titled 'The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity' that was not present in the previous German edition.

First edition, first impression; 8vo; portrait frontispiece, equations and diagrams within the text, separately paginated 8-page publisher's ads at rear, contemporary ownership inscription to the front free endpaper, occasional pencilled marks in the text, and numbers on the rear pastedown, Foyle's ticket to the front pastedown, spotting to the edges of text block and early leaves; original red cloth, titles to spine in gilt and to upper board in blind, spine faded, spine titles dulled, cloth lightly rubbed with some marks and pale spots to the upper board, very good condition; 138pp.